After six years of monitoring Ealing Friends of the Earth say there has been no improvement in the amount of time buses spend stationary with their engines running at Haven Green in the heart of Ealing. This is despite Ealing Council having had since 2003 the powers to fine drivers of vehicles with engines running unnecessarily.

On Saturday 24 July members of Ealing Friends of the Earth, together with volunteers from Ealing Passenger Transport Users’ Group (EPTUG) and Central Ealing Residents’ Association (CERA) monitored bus arrivals and departures at Haven Green and clocked the amount of time buses spent stationary with their engines running.

London United’s route 65 was the worst, with one driver leaving his bus engine running for 17 minutes while parked. Previous worst performer Metroline’s Route 297 and Armchair’s E8 were joint next with drivers leaving engines running for 15 minutes. This is the E8’s worst result, and the same old story for the 297, which has not improved at all in 6 years of monitoring, despite different bus stop arrangements since 2002. Next worst were First London’s PR1 at 8 minutes, no improvement from last time, and the same operator’s E7 at 6 minutes, its worst result since 2000.

Christine Eborall, Ealing Friends of the Earth air pollution and health spokesperson, said: “We’ve been monitoring this since 1998 and these results are just as awful as ever. With all we know about how diesel pollution damages people’s health, buses are still belching out fumes all over the people waiting at the bus stops and sitting outside the cafes and pubs. But the difference this year is that Ealing Council now has the powers to stop it, and it’s not using them. It has not even put up the new warning signs it had made last year.”

She continued: “These are not isolated cases. Our data shows that there’s still a minority of drivers who do not switch off their engines. Yet as in previous years we’ve seen many drivers doing a perfect job - switching off immediately they stop and not switching on again until ready to go. This proves it can be done, so there is absolutely no excuse for those drivers who don’t do it. Ealing Council is supposed to be taking action to reduce air pollution, it must get tough with these bus drivers.”

As on previous occasions, the monitoring found that inspectors make no difference. An inspector was around for most of the day, talking to drivers and boarding vehicles which had the engine running all the time.

This is the sixth year that Ealing Friends of the Earth has monitored buses at Haven Green and 281 observations were made. No improvement has been found, despite bus companies saying they train their drivers to switch off engines when parked. There are signs on bus stand telling drivers to switch off while on the stand.

In April 2003 Ealing Council adopted powers under The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002, which enable it to require the drivers of cars, buses and other vehicles to switch off their engines when parked, and to issue fines - Fixed Penalty Notices (£20, increasing to £40 if not paid after 28 days) - to those who refuse to co-operate. Ealing Council has not issued any Fixed Penalty Notices.

London Borough of Ealing was declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in December 2000 after it was shown that parts of the borough, including areas around Haven Green, were predicted not to meet the air quality targets specified in the UK Government’s National Air Quality Strategy. The first of these should be met by the end of 2004. As a consequence of being declared an AQMA, Ealing Council was required to produce an Air Quality Action Plan. Among the actions listed in this plan, which was approved by Ealing Council’s Cabinet in April 2003, is ‘issuing penalty notices on the drivers of stationary vehicles who leave their engines running unnecessarily’.

Bus diesel engines emit a variety of pollutants, but the particulates (small particles) they emit are of most concern to human health. Particulates are inhaled deep into the lungs and there is no safe level. The higher the level, the more likely people with pre-existing chronic heart and lung diseases are likely to suffer acute effects, even death.

Results league table: longest time spent stationary with engine running